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Chapter 6 Study Guide- India and SE Asia 1500 BCE- 600 CE

Directions: Answer the following questions using complete sentences. Page numbers are provided.

1. What are the three topographical zones of the Indian subcontinent? P.1522. Describe the climate of India. P.1523. How was the family organized during the Vedic period? P. 1534. What two groups were rivals and engaged in warfare during the Vedic Period? P.153-45. Describe each of the 4 varna. P.1546. What was the organization of jati (castes)? P.1557. The type of body one inherited after reincarnation depended on what? p.1558. Who controlled the processes and technology of sacrifice? P. 1559. What was the most important tenet of Jainism? P.15610. List the Four Noble Truths. P.15611. What was the ultimate reward of Buddhism and how did one reach it? P.15712. What were bodhisattvas? P.15713. What are the main gods in Hinduism? P.15814. How did Hindus worship? P. 15815. What waterway did the Hindus consider sacred and what did they do there? P.15916. How large was the tax imposed by the Mauryan government? P. 16017. List 4 ways/methods that the government secured support and power. P.16018. What was Ashoka’s philosophy once he converted to Buddhism? P.16119. What are the two greatest Indian epics? P.16120. In terms of resources and the economy, list 3 things the Gupta did/controlled that helped

them rule effectively. P.16221. In comparison to the Mauryan, what did the Gupta government administration look like?

P.162-322. In the area of mathematics, what are 2 developments we attribute to the Gupta? P.16323. What happened to women’s rights under the Gupta? Why? P.16324. What was the practice of sati? P.16325. Who were the Gupta’s main trading partners? P.16526. What was a primary reason for the collapse of the Gupta? P.16527. What is the climate of Southeast Asia? Describe the geographic qualities. P.16828. What kinds of plants and animals thrive in Southeast Asia? P.16829. List 4 navigational skills mastered by the Malay. P.16830. Funan dominated what key location for trade? P.169

AP World History University

monsoon Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean caused by thedifferences in temperature between the rapidly heating andcooling landmasses of Africa and Asia and the slowly changing ocean waters. These strong and predictable winds have long been ridden across the open sea by sailors, and thelarge amounts of rainfall that they deposit on parts of India,Southeast Asia, and China allow for the cultivation of severalcrops a year. (pp. 152, 326)

Vedas Early Indian sacred “knowledge”—the literal meaning of the term—long preserved and communicated orally by Brahmin priests and eventually written down. These religious texts, including the thousand poetic hymns to variousdeities contained in the Rig Veda, are our main source of information about the Vedic period (ca. 1500–500 B.C.E.). (p. 152)

varna/jati Two categories of social identity of great importance in Indian history. Varna are the four major socialdivisions: the Brahmin priest class, the Kshatriya warrior/administrator class, the Vaishya merchant/farmer class, andthe Shudra laborer class. Within the system of varna are many jati, regional groups of people who have a common occupational sphere, and who marry, eat, and generallyinteract with other members of their group. (pp. 154, 155)

karma In Indian tradition, the residue of deeds performed in past and present lives that adheres to a “spirit” and determines what form it will assume in its next life cycle. The doctrines of karma and reincarnation were used by the elite in ancient India to encourage people to accept their social position and do their duty. (p. 155)

moksha The Hindu concept of the spirit’s “liberation” fromthe endless cycle of rebirths. There are various avenues—such as physical discipline, meditation, and acts of devotionto the gods—by which the spirit can distance itself fromdesire for the things of this world and be merged with thedivine force that animates the universe. (p. 156)

Buddha (563–483 b.c.e.) An Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who renounced his wealth and social position. After becoming “enlightened” (the meaning of Buddha) he enunciated the principles of Buddhism. This doctrine evolved and spread throughout India and to Southeast, East, and Central Asia. (See also Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism.) (p. 156)

Mahayana Buddhism “Great Vehicle” branch of Buddhismfollowed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is onreverence for Buddha and for bodhisattvas, enlightenedpersons who have postponed nirvana to help others attainenlightenment. (p. 157)

Theravada Buddhism “Way of the Elders” branch of Buddhism followed in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. Therevada remains close to the original principles set forth by the Buddha; it downplays the importance of gods and emphasizes austerity and the individual’s search for enlightenment. (p. 157)

Hinduism A general term for a wide variety of Mauryan Empire The first state to unify

beliefs andritual practices that have developed in the Indian subcontinentsince antiquity. Hinduism has roots in ancient Vedic, Buddhist, and south Indian religious concepts and practices.It spread along the trade routes to Southeast Asia.(p. 157)

most of the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 324 B.C.E. and survived until 184 B.C.E. From its capital at Pataliputra in the Ganges Valley it grew wealthy from taxes on agriculture, iron mining, and control of trade routes. (See also Ashoka.) (p. 160)

Ashoka Third ruler of the Mauryan Empire in India(r. 270–232 B.C.E.). He converted to Buddhism and broadcasthis precepts on inscribed stones and pillars, the earliestsurviving Indian writing. (p. 161)

Mahabharata A vast epic chronicling the events leading up to a cataclysmic battle between related kinship groups in early India. It includes the Bhagavad-Gita, the most important work of Indian sacred literature. (p. 162)

Bhagavad-Gita The most important work of Indian sacredliterature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna andthe god Krishna on duty and the fate of the spirit. (p. 162)

Tamil kingdoms The kingdoms of southern India, inhabited primarily by speakers of Dravidian languages, which developed in partial isolation, and somewhat differently, from the Aryan north. They produced epics, poetry, and performance arts. Elements of Tamil religious beliefs were merged intothe Hindu synthesis. (p. 162)

Gupta Empire (320–550 c.e.) A powerful Indian state based,like its Mauryan predecessor, on a capital at Pataliputra inthe Ganges Valley. It controlled most of the Indian subcontinent through a combination of military force and its prestige as a center of sophisticated culture. (See alsotheater-state.) (p. 162)

theater-state Historians’ term for a state that acquires prestige and power by developing attractive cultural forms and staging elaborate public ceremonies (as well as redistributing valuable resources) to attract and bind subjects to the center. Examples include the Gupta Empire in India and Srivijaya in Southeast Asia. (p. 163)

Malay peoples A designation for peoples originating insouth China and Southeast Asia who settled the MalayPeninsula, Indonesia, and the Philippines, then spreadeastward across the islands of the Pacific Ocean and west toMadagascar. (p. 168)

Funan An early complex society in Southeast Asia between the first and sixth centuries C.E. It was centered in the rich rice-growing region of southern Vietnam, and it controlled the passage of trade across the Malaysian isthmus. (p. 169)

Free Response Focus Questions: Answer these questions in a 5-7 sentence paragraph.

In your own words. Do not simply copy from the book and memorize the response.

Support your response with plenty of facts. Understand where events fall historically (global context, cause/effect, etc)

1. The chapter opener takes an excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita. How is the story of Arjuna and Krishna a perfect metaphor for understanding the meaning of god in Hinduism as well as the importance of karma and reincarnation?

2. Describe the religions of Jainism and Buddhism, which challenged the authority of the Brahmin.

3. Describe the rise and importance of the Mauryan Empire in Indian history. Include plenty of facts as support.

4. What was the condition of women during the Gupta Empire? What important factors affected those women’s lives?

5. Discuss the ways that early Southeast Asia participated in the world system.